Chief Practitioner - Child Safety and Youth Justice Operations - 981368

The Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) is seeking an experienced and values-driven Chief Practitioner to lead and set the standards for evidence informed contemporary practice for professionals working within the Child Safety and Youth Justice Operations Portfolio (CSYJO).

About the Role

Step into a system‑wide leadership role that shapes practice excellence across Child Safety and Youth Justice in Tasmania.
This greenfield opportunity will see you establish the Office of the Chief Practitioner and lead statewide reform to modernise, streamline and align practice guidance.
You will embed therapeutic, trauma‑informed and evidence‑based models of care, setting and upholding the professional standards that drive safety, quality and consistency for some of Tasmania’s most vulnerable children and young people.
As a key leader in a nation‑leading Youth Justice reform program, you will help build a contemporary, rehabilitative and young‑person‑centred framework.

If this role interests you, please contact Peter Whitcombe at peter.whitcombe@decyp.tas.gov.au or mobile phone number 0407 559 584.

What we are Looking For

• Demonstrated strategic leadership and management experience in contemporary evidence-based Child Safety and/or Youth Justice service delivery, focusing on children and young people.
• Significant expertise in professional practice disciplines relevant to Child Safety and/or Youth Justice, together with the capacity to set and uphold professional practice standards and build capability and commit to upholding the rights of children and young people,
• Exemplary leadership skills with the capacity to inspire, lead, and implement organisational change in services for children, young people, and families, combined with skills to drive team performance, achieve outcomes, and align strategies with the broader environment.
• Demonstrated success in leading multidisciplinary teams and engaging effectively with diverse internal and external stakeholders, including government partners, service providers, practitioners, and community representatives.
• Senior management experience working in a large Government and/or human services organisation to drive policy and project initiatives, coupled with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to adapt to varying audiences and resolve conflicts effectively, and the ability to influence at a state and national level.

What we are Offering

• Be part of a nation-leading Youth Justice Reform that places the young people at the heart of everything we do, built on a therapeutic and trauma-informed model of care!
• 5 years senior executive contract, car and car park
• Relocation Assistance: we can support your relocation to Tasmania; embrace a balanced lifestyle, breathtaking natural beauty and exceptional food and produces
• Flexible working arrangements, including start/end times and WFH days, and part-time options
• Access to 3 additional leave days (Christmas breakdown days) and purchase leave scheme
• Wellbeing Connect program and Fitness Passport. 

Condition of Employment

• Salary $183,884 to $202,163 per annum + super + vehicle and/or allowance
• Award and Classification: Senior Executive Service / SES Level 2
• Employment Type: Senior Executive Service
• Period of Appointment: 5 years
• Region: Statewide

Hours per fortnight

73.5 hours per fortnight

Essential Requirements

To be eligible, you must have:

• Ability to obtain or have a current Registration to Work with Vulnerable People (Employment Status) – Tasmania.

• The Head of the State Service has determined that the person nominated for this job is to satisfy a pre-employment check before taking up the appointment, on promotion or transfer. The following checks are to be conducted:

1. Conviction checks in the following areas:
   1. crimes of violence
   2. sex related offences
   3. serious drug offences
   4. crimes involving dishonesty
   5. serious traffic offences
2. Identification c